Last night the mood struck. I wanted to bake something, so I pulled a cookbook out that I’ve only ever used once, and told myself to find something. I skipped right to the chapter on cookies and bars in my All-American Dessert Book by Nancy Bagget. I have a cake planned for later this week, so I wanted something that more resembles finger food than anything else.
Now normally, I have to tell you I would have passed this recipe by. In fact I don’t even know what drew me to give it a second glance in the first place. But as I read over the ingredients and the directions for this recipe, it occured to me that I had everything on hand, and that I might as well give it a try. So Chewy Peanut Caramel Bars became my project. It didn’t take near as long to get it all assembled, but there was some down time while the crust baked in the oven. The crust was basically a shortbread crust made with heavy cream, and with the help of a food processor, I was pressing it in the pan in no time. My one change to the crust was to use salted butter, since that’s what I had on hand, and since I was using salted butter, I didn’t use the generous 1/4 teaspoon of salt called for- instead I used a scant 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
Once the crust was cooling on the rack, it was time for the topping to come together. Again, I made small changes. I used salted butter, and instead of the 1/8 teaspoon salt, I used a healthy pinch of fleur de sel. There’s just something about caramel and fleur de sel that they work together incredibly well, and I was hoping to up the salty element just a tad. Once cooked, the caramel was poured over the crust, a short while later chocolate was added as well, and then came time for the long excruciating waiting process. It was worth the wait though. While this recipe introduction says that these resemble Snickers candy bars in flavor, I guess I don’t quite get that. But, these are insanely delicious. My only complaint is that they are still a little gooey, so I suspect that I needed to cook my caramel a minute longer or so. These are very rich bars, and a very small morsel will satisfy the craziest sweet tooth. As such, a 9 x 13 pan makes a lot! I am going to cut half of them up to have in the freezer, but I had an idea late last night for the other half of the pan. You’ll have to stay tuned to see what that is. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.
Chewy Peanut Caramel Bars
from The All-American Dessert Book by Nancy Bagget
Crust: 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Generous 1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
5 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped unsalted peanuts (divided)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375ºF. Line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and coat the foil with nonstick spray. If using nonstick foil, still use the spray.
To make the crust: In a food processor, process the flour, sugar and salt to blend. Add the butter. Process in pulses until the butter is cut in and the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the cream and vanilla over the flour mixture. Process in pulses until the dough holds together, being very careful to not overprocess. Very firmly press the mixture into the baking dish in an even layer. Prick the crust all over with a fork. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until just tinged with brown all over and slightly darker at the edges. Transfer to a wire rack.
To make the topping: In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, stir together the brown sugar, corn syrup, cream, butter, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of the peanuts. Adjust the heat so that the mixture boils briskly. Cook, stirring frequently for 2 1/2 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat. Stir in the vanilla.
Pour the topping over the crust, drizzling to cover the entire surface as evenly as possible. Spread out with a greased table knife if necessary. Let cook and firm up for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips. Let stand for a few minutes longer, or until the chocolate is partially melted. Using a table knife, spread the melted chocolate over the topping. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup peanuts.
Let cool completely- in a refrigerator if at all possible. Remove the slab from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Carefully peel off the foil. If desired, using a large sharp knife, trim away the uneven edges. Carefully cut the slab crosswise into eighths and lengthwise into quarters (or as desired).
The bars will keep, stored airtight, at room temperature for up to 10 days or frozen for up to 2 months. Let come to room temperature before serving.